


i've been flying for too long

by thorbiased



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post Battle, Showers, Wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29015958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorbiased/pseuds/thorbiased
Summary: “I might require a bit of attention if you don’t mind.”Thor had gotten closer to the shower, and she could see his shadowy outline from behind the cream-colored curtain. He looked tense, unsure. “Do you want me to come in?”It would’ve been frustrating if it wasn’t so endearing. She tugged back the curtain enough to let him see her nonplussed expression. “You’ve seen me in much less innocent nakedness, your majesty,” she said, delighting in the blush it brought to his cheeks, “Get in.”(Or, Thor tends to Brunnhilde's wounds in the shower)
Relationships: Brunnhilde | Valkyrie/Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	i've been flying for too long

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a tweet from @devilpool !

Brunnhilde winced under the warm spray of the showerhead. The water pressure was shit, but it was hot, and under the circumstances, she couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed. Mud and probably alien guts, too, had caked in her hair. She stood with her head tilted back, letting the water wash it away with help from her shaking hands. She’d raged battle this taxing before, but it had been centuries since those days, and she was out of practice. The ache in her muscles was an all-too-obvious indication of that. 

“Brunnhilde?” 

Thor’s voice was dimmed by the rush of water in her ears, but she heard him still. 

“Aye?” she asked, her own voice hoarse from battle cries. She sttraightened to hear his response better and groaned at the pull of skin around the open gash on her back. The water running over it felt nice, though; nice enough to let her muscles relax.   
  
His steps were heavy, and she could hear his feet drag against the tile floor. He was just as tired as she was, but he’d relinquished the first shower to her. “Are you alright?” 

Brunnhilde nodded before she remembered that he couldn’t see her. “I’m—ah!” She was cut off by a wave of burning pain in her back that made her hop out of the water and bite down on her knuckle. “I might require a _bit_ of attention if you don’t mind.”

Thor had gotten closer to the shower, and she could see his shadowy outline from behind the cream-colored curtain. He looked tense, unsure. “Do you want me to come in?”

It would’ve been frustrating if it wasn’t so endearing. She tugged back the curtain enough to let him see her nonplussed expression. “You’ve seen me in much less innocent nakedness, your majesty,” she said, delighting in the blush it brought to his cheeks, “Get in.”

Thor grinned and tugged his armor over his head, exposing his own bruises and cuts, none of which were so bad as the one on her back. Under different circumstances, she’d have savored the sight of his toned muscles and flushed skin, but she was aching. Thor shimmied out of his pants, and she ducked back inside the shower to let him in. He took up more than half her space, but she was more than glad to share. 

“How may I assist you, lady Valkyrie?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. 

Her eyes fluttered shut as she hummed. “Help me get this mud out of my hair.”

Thor laughed softly. His hands, calloused but oh so gentle, made their way to her hair. “This...this isn’t mud.”

Brunnhilde groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that,” she muttered. She shivered as his fingers combed through the knots in her curls. He was dragging his nails across her scalp like that on purpose, she knew, but wouldn’t protest. “Can you get it out?”

Thor took a step forward, guiding her back under the stream of water. She shut her eyes and mouth as it poured over her. He tousled her hair once, and she felt something slick slide down her back. She scrunched her nose. “What was that?”

“You don’t want to know.”

Brunnhilde decided to believe him. 

Thor’s deft fingers washed the rest of the unmentionables from her hair in silence. Brunnhilde turned her face so her cheek rested against his chest while he worked. Somehow in the steady rhythm of Thor playing with her hair and the deliciously warm water and her utter exhaustion, she dozed off standing against Thor. She woke to him pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. 

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he murmured, “You’ve got to stay awake long enough for me to clean this wound, then I promise, it’s right to bed with you.” 

Brunnhilde made a noise of indignation at the back of her throat and pushed off him. “Fine,” she mumbled, turning to allow him full access to her injury. “Fast, Thor, I’m afraid I’ll fall.”

Thor ran his hands down her arms, then shifted to her hips to hold her in place. “I’d never let you fall.”

She rolled her eyes. The water was still hot, but that didn’t stop her from shivering as Thor’s fingertips brushed the small of her back. The gash was between her shoulder blades, and fom the feel of it, it was not too deep. Sadly, deep enough to catch dirt and grim and even more alien guts during battle. 

“If it hurts let me know.”

She nodded and braced herself for the sting. Thor grabbed a, thankfully fresh, washcloth off the rack beside her. He was so gentle. She never would have thought a man as large and fumbling as he could be so gentle with her. Not just physically, either. He was patient, kind. He loved her fast, but he waited for her to catch up. Now, when she couldn’t imagine never having loved him, she still found herself shocked by the magnitude of his love.

The soap and water burned, but she gritted her teeth and bore it. Thor used his thumb to brush away a few grains of sand, and she winced. He pulled back and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “Are you okay?”

Brunnhilde met his concerned gaze with her tired but steady one. “I can take a little pain, Thor. I’m a Valkyrie, remember?”

Thor gave her nose a peck. “I’ll keep going, then.” 

He continued his work, somehow even more gently than he had been before. He finished soon after and signaled this by pressing a kiss just above the beginning of the cut. She hummed and leaned back against him, and his now free hands snaked around to her front. 

“Bed?” he asked, letting his chin nestle in the crook of her shoulder and neck. His beard scratched at his skin, but it just made her shiver. 

“Yeah,” she said. She looked over at him, eyes pleading. “Carry me?”

Thor chuckled softly. “Let’s dry off first maybe?”

Brunnhilde groaned. “Fine.”

Thor reached forward and shut off the water. Brunnhilde found that she missed his touch immediately. She pulled back the shower curtain and stepped out. Freezing air rushed in and she wrapped her arms protectively around her middle. Thor was quick to toss a towel around her shoulders before grabbing one for himself. Once his lower region was covered, he rubbed warmth into her arms and helped her wrap her towel more permanently underneath her arms. 

“Now carry me,” she said, with all the cadence of a war general. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Thor whispered in her ear, sending goosebumps down her neck and over her chest. He bent down and lifted her into his embrace with ease. The layout of the ship was standard in everything but bathroom placement, which worked in their favor since their shared bunk was attached to the showers. 

Thor lifted a brow as he pushed the door open with his back. “Are you too tired for pajamas?” 

Brunnhilde’s eyes widened. “By the Norns, Thor, so forward! Who raised you?”

Thor laughed, and the sound was like music to her ears. She let him know it by pressing a quick kiss to his neck. “I swear, my intentions are pure, my love. I was only asking if I’d be dressing you as well as putting you to bed?” 

Brunnhilde considered it. “Just grab me a tee-shirt,” she decided, and he obliged. Awkwardly, of course, given that he was carrying her still _and_ fumbling with her bag, but he managed. 

He was still so gentle, as he laid her against the bed. She pushed herself up on her elbows and took the shirt from his outstretched hand. As she tugged it over her damp skin, she caught a glimpse of his towel drop to the floor. By the time she got her shirt on straight, Thor was already sliding into a pair of boxers. 

He gave her an impish look over his shoulder when he caught her staring. “Like what you see?”

Brunnhilde smiled and held out her hands. He took them, and she pulled him close to her. “You know it.”

He flopped down on his belly beside her with an _oof_ and turned his head so he could see her. “I’ve got a fine view myself.”

“Hm,” Brunnhilde sighed, settling down onto her back and slipping under the covers, “that sounds like flattery.”

Thor’s smile was tired. “It was a genuine compliment, I assure you,” he mumbled as she pulled the blanket over his back and let her hand fall to his neck. His hair was to his shoulders now, and she had to admit she liked the look. It made for better handling, at least. 

“I believe you, I guess,” she said, snuggling closer to him. He turned over so she could lay against his chest and wrapped both arms snugly around her. “Though, actions speak louder than words.”

Thor didn’t give her words time to hang in the air before he pressed his mouth to hers. He tasted like the air before a storm, like something she could only describe as lightning. She’d never get tired of it. 

Her fingers gripped his hair tight as she deepened the kiss further, pushing her body against his. She pulled away from his lips soon after, panting. “We’ll finish this tomorrow, your majesty,” she whispered, close enough to him that her lips brushed his whenever she spoke, “For now, bed.”

Thor’s response was a softer kiss and a nod. “Aye, my love.”

Brunnhilde settled into the curve of his neck and shoulder, where she fit so well, like he’d been made for her. His arms were strong, and his hold on her was tight. The last thing she remembered was the gentle pressure of a kiss against her hair, and she fell asleep with a smile. 


End file.
